Suikoden IV, Prompt 46: Star
Title: Validity
Fandom: Suikoden IV
Characters: Tanya, brief references to other members
Prompt: 046: Star
Word Count: 569
Rating: PG
Summary: She studies the stars, and wonders.
Author's Notes: Set shortly before the 108th Star is recruited... Refers to some of the other recruits, so there are implied spoilers for anyone who hasn't played/finished the game... Same deal as always, basically. Once again, the table for other stories (as they're written; we're getting up there now!) can be found here.
Tanya loves to study the stars.
As a little girl, she always loved reading about the legends of different lands, seeing how they diverged, from country to country, or island to island... All the retellings of the ancient tales, of The Sword and The Shield, and the 27 True Runes... and the 108 Stars of Destiny.
Though she doesn't really believe in fate -- she much prefers the notion of free will, of forging one's destiny with your hands or mind -- there's something undeniably alluring about the idea of being born under one of the Stars. The thought of discovering one day that you were meant for greater matters than the day to day grind, of being somebody special, able to change the world just by existing, by being in the right place at the right time...
...That doesn't mean she really believes that she is one, mind. Tanya merely understands the appeal, and why Desmond might be tempted to use the Stars as a guideline when he was making the roster. It's an easy way to assign the illusion of a greater meaning to their task, beyond the scope of uniting the islands and fighting Kooluk. A noble task, to be sure, but combined with the notion that this could be fate, that their joining together is more than mere coincidence, more than rallying for a deserving cause...
For her, though, it was hearing that the legendary Elenor Silverberg was involved with their cause that drew her into the rebellion. Selfish, perhaps... and perhaps it proved her point, that this was not part of some grand design. She was no soldier, no warrior of destiny... Oh, she was pretty good with a Wind Rune, but she'd never handled anything more dangerous than a dinner knife, didn't have any training with a weapon, and was fully aware that 'Winds of Sleep' wasn't exactly a flawless defense. Her greatest strength came from her books, her best asset her vibrant memory, her ability to recall in meticulous detail things she'd read years ago...
Still, it's charming how he's tried to match people up to the different stars, and she has to admit he's done a decent job. That's not just her ego speaking for her, flattering as it is how he assigned her Chikai, the 'Chief Star of Earth'... Tanya gets the feeling she was just fortunate there were any good stars left.
Some of his other choices, though...
...Well, they show how limited his options have gotten. Even with all the stars that translate roughly to 'strong' or 'brave' or 'intelligent' -- and really, what she wouldn't give for an original textbook and an understanding of the ancient language! -- there are still the odd roles to 'fill'. If they hadn't recruited a musician so he could easily assign Chigaku, 'The Star of Music'... and she feels a bit sorry that somebody as sweet as that fisherman ended up with the 'Broken Star' of Tenson. Some titles aren't the type anyone in their right mind would want to have...
And now... now there's only one star left: Tenan, the 'Dark Star'. Despite her doubts about the validity of anything on Desmond's tablet, Tanya can't help but wonder who might end up with that title, if it will suit them or not. It would be a shame to leave it unfinished, after all.
Fandom: Suikoden IV
Characters: Tanya, brief references to other members
Prompt: 046: Star
Word Count: 569
Rating: PG
Summary: She studies the stars, and wonders.
Author's Notes: Set shortly before the 108th Star is recruited... Refers to some of the other recruits, so there are implied spoilers for anyone who hasn't played/finished the game... Same deal as always, basically. Once again, the table for other stories (as they're written; we're getting up there now!) can be found here.
Tanya loves to study the stars.
As a little girl, she always loved reading about the legends of different lands, seeing how they diverged, from country to country, or island to island... All the retellings of the ancient tales, of The Sword and The Shield, and the 27 True Runes... and the 108 Stars of Destiny.
Though she doesn't really believe in fate -- she much prefers the notion of free will, of forging one's destiny with your hands or mind -- there's something undeniably alluring about the idea of being born under one of the Stars. The thought of discovering one day that you were meant for greater matters than the day to day grind, of being somebody special, able to change the world just by existing, by being in the right place at the right time...
...That doesn't mean she really believes that she is one, mind. Tanya merely understands the appeal, and why Desmond might be tempted to use the Stars as a guideline when he was making the roster. It's an easy way to assign the illusion of a greater meaning to their task, beyond the scope of uniting the islands and fighting Kooluk. A noble task, to be sure, but combined with the notion that this could be fate, that their joining together is more than mere coincidence, more than rallying for a deserving cause...
For her, though, it was hearing that the legendary Elenor Silverberg was involved with their cause that drew her into the rebellion. Selfish, perhaps... and perhaps it proved her point, that this was not part of some grand design. She was no soldier, no warrior of destiny... Oh, she was pretty good with a Wind Rune, but she'd never handled anything more dangerous than a dinner knife, didn't have any training with a weapon, and was fully aware that 'Winds of Sleep' wasn't exactly a flawless defense. Her greatest strength came from her books, her best asset her vibrant memory, her ability to recall in meticulous detail things she'd read years ago...
Still, it's charming how he's tried to match people up to the different stars, and she has to admit he's done a decent job. That's not just her ego speaking for her, flattering as it is how he assigned her Chikai, the 'Chief Star of Earth'... Tanya gets the feeling she was just fortunate there were any good stars left.
Some of his other choices, though...
...Well, they show how limited his options have gotten. Even with all the stars that translate roughly to 'strong' or 'brave' or 'intelligent' -- and really, what she wouldn't give for an original textbook and an understanding of the ancient language! -- there are still the odd roles to 'fill'. If they hadn't recruited a musician so he could easily assign Chigaku, 'The Star of Music'... and she feels a bit sorry that somebody as sweet as that fisherman ended up with the 'Broken Star' of Tenson. Some titles aren't the type anyone in their right mind would want to have...
And now... now there's only one star left: Tenan, the 'Dark Star'. Despite her doubts about the validity of anything on Desmond's tablet, Tanya can't help but wonder who might end up with that title, if it will suit them or not. It would be a shame to leave it unfinished, after all.